The site is owned by Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. The provision of the Environment Centre was a condition of the lease of the Byng Road site with the London Borough of Barnet. The nature reserve, an important environmental site for the local community, is managed by the Friends of Barnet Environment Centre. This charity operates on-site under licence from Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice and the London Borough of Barnet.
Full planning permission was granted in 2012 to build a six bed children’s hospice facility together with a new environmental and educational centre on the 7.5 acre site.
In Spring 2014 preparations for the building of the Environment Centre have included the cutting down of several trees and the erection of a reptile-proof fence around the construction region. Work on the Environment Centre started in January 2015. The Centre Opening was on the 9th April 2016.
On the 25th January 2017 Barnet Council’s planning committee gave the final go-ahead for Noah’s Ark to construct its hospice building on Byng Road. The committee’s approval emphasised respect for the natural environment, requiring an appropriate landscaping scheme.
On the 26th September 2017 the ground-breaking ceremony took place to mark the start of construction work on the hospice. Samantha Cameron, wife of the former Prime Minister David Cameron, attended this ceremony.
On the 26th September 2019 the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, officially opened Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice’s new building – The Ark – serving North and Central London and Hertsmere.